Peachtree Corners, Ga. – Coaches from 26 U.S. states and 7 other countries received their U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Kids Coach and Master Kids Coach awards at the 2024 PGA Show in Orlando on January 24.
“We are proud to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of these coaches,” said Dan Van Horn, President and Founder of U.S. Kids Golf. “Their dedication and commitment to the game, and more importantly, their students, is a great benefit to the facilities they represent, the families they serve, and especially, the young players who are starting this lifetime journey of golf.”
Presented since 2004, the U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Coach award is widely recognized as the pinnacle achievement for junior golf coaches worldwide. Award recipients are chosen based on their contributions to youth golf in their community. These contributions include but are not limited to coaching players ages 12 and under, use of the Player Pathway in advancing their players, creativity, engagement with parents, communication, and organization.
Coaches achieve the Master Kids Coach status upon earning the Top 50 award for a third time. This year, 19 coaches earned this recognition.
“Becoming a Master Kids Coach is the highest distinction for kids coaches,” noted Van Horn. “These are the professionals that have dedicated a career to youth golf and families, consistent excellence, which is not easy, and truly embody the spirit of the U.S. Kids Golf mission.”
Top 50 Kids Coaches, Class of 2023:
Bridget Ackley… West Palm Beach, Fla.
Heather Angell… Fort Myers, Fla.
Sharon Barley… Lancaster, Penn.
Jimmy Bayne… High Point, N.C.
Ryan Benton… Dothan, Ala.
Barbara Borin… Barba, Italy
Matt Brown… Fort Sill, Okla.
Ginger Brown Lemm… Spring, Texas
Vincent Burbank… Winter Garden, Fla.
Gavin Burns… Lexington, Ky.
Collins Kipkurui… Kericho, Kenya
Terrence Crimmins… Wellesley, Mass.
Kellie Edelblut… Southern Pines, N.C.
Sean English… Baltimore
Vanessa Fassler… Lakewood Ranch, Fla.
Gavin Forsyth… Staining , U.K.
Travis Fowler… Chingford, U.K.
Tim Fraley… Bend, Ore.
Robbie Fritz… Greensboro, N.C.
Darren Game… Stamford, U.K.
Andrew Gerlach… Hilton Head, S.C.
Jerrel Gill… Coral Gables, Fla.
Olivier Gilmartin… Miami,
Travis Glass… Niagara Falls, Ont.
Gavin Grenville-Wood… Elstree, U.K.
Bill Hall… Beaufort, S.C.
Dakota Hicks… Duncan, Okla.
Noah Horstman… Medford, Ore.
Megan Johnston… Winter Garden, Fla.
Paul Killgallon… Birmingham, Ala.
Stephanie Kolbas… Eagle, Neb.
Katie Manlolo… Kapolei, Hawaii
Mack McConaha… Dublin, Ohio
Chad Moscovic… Frisco, Texas
Kelli Murphy… Auburn, Ala.
Carly Newman… St. James, N.Y.
Eric Poon… Hong Kong
Joseph Portfilio… Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Tim Ritter… Potomac, Md.
Orlando Rodriguez… Atlanta
Matthew Rueb… Bismarck, N.D.
Abigale Schepperle… Roswell, Ga.
John Schmoll… Greenwich, Conn.
Jonathan Shoffner… Kingwood, Texas
Julieta Stack… Lutherville Timonium, Md.
Sara Stephens… Burlington, Ky.
Sean Stewart… Orlando
Nazeer Tajudeen… Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Jacob Tilton… Atlanta
Gregory Wright… Middleton, Mass.
Master Kids Coaches, Class of 2023:
Allie Andersen… Spring, Texas
Lee Bromley… Cardiff, U.K.
Brian Burgwyn… Cary, N.C.
Daniel Byrd… Clemmons, N.C.
Brittany Ferrante… Tequesta, Fla.
Michelle Grafos… Spokane, Wash.
James Hanson… Brighton, Mich.
Laura Holmes-Landon… Virginia Beach, Va.
Taylor Lambertsen… Chicago, Ill.
Kenneth Leech… Boca Raton, Fla.
Eugene Marais… Van Giang, Vietnam
Paul Maurer… Columbia, Md.
Chris Meade… Fredericksburg, Texas
Pamela Saladino… Beloit, Wis.
Hoppy Smith… Diamondhead, Miss.
Erik Sorensen… Newbury, Mass.
Kyley Tetley… Broken Arrow, Okla.
Monique Thoresz… Scarsdale, N.Y.
Chris Yoder… Columbus, Ohio
For more information on the U.S. Kids Golf Top 50 Kids Coach Award, visit: https://foundation.uskidsgolf.com/about-our-coaches
About U.S. Kids Golf
U.S. Kids Golf is the world’s leading organization for helping grow golf among youth and families. Founded in 1996, U.S. Kids Golf offers equipment in three distinct lines of clubs in up to 10 sizes. The U.S. Kids Foundation hosts more than 1600 tournaments globally – including the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship held annually in Pinehurst, N.C.; and its Coaches Institute includes over 1800 members around the world. The Foundation also owns and operates Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Southern Pines, N.C., a “Living Laboratory” of golf’s best practices and newest ideas to make golf a better game for everyone. In both 2018 and 2020, U.S. Kids Golf was recognized by the National Golf Foundation as one of the “Top 100 Businesses in Golf” based on influence, innovation, and social good among other criteria.
Connect with U.S. Kids Golf:
Website: www.uskidsgolf.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/USKidsGolf
Twitter: www.twitter.com/USKidsGolf
